By Vincent Khan
UNIVERSITY CENTER – Delta College and Bay College tipped off for back-to-back matchups on Jan. 28 between the men’s and women’s teams. The men’s team came up just short with a loss while the women’s team blew out Bay College completely.
Delta College women’s basketball team
Delta’s women’s team was led by sophomore Catarina Juarez who dropped 27 points. Catarina has been a leader for the team all season, always chanting “D up” to her teammates when she is on the sidelines along with plenty of other leadership characteristics.
Coach Sabra Wimberly describes her athletes on the court as “scrappy” and the team ended with 17 steals total throughout the game.
Right from tip-off, Delta scored first and never let Bay College get a sniff at the lead, continuously adding points until the final score of 55-91.
A player to keep an eye on the rest of the season is sophomore forward TaNyla Anthony Billups. Her presence down low is nothing that will get recognition on the stat sheet, but her sheer rim protection forces opposing teams to take more outside shots. Defending these outside shots are Delta’s three super-athletic sophomore guards. Destiny Harrison, Desiree Jackson, and Mya Williams. These three have combined for 119 steals so far this semester making Delta one of the top defensive teams in the conference.
The Delta College Women’s Basketball Team dominated against Bay College on Jan. 28, 2023 with a final score of 91-55; photo credit Onnie Stone
Delta College men’s basketball team
Delta College’s men’s basketball team versus Bay College on Jan. 28 was a nail-biter until the end. Delta led until halftime, but afterward, Bay College pulled out and maintained a comfortable 10-point lead for the rest of the game, for a final score of 90-100 in favor of Bay College.
After the game, Coach Vincent Turner described the loss as disappointing and said the team needs to polish up their fundamentals and finishing but looks to carry this energy onto the next game.
Sophomore Travis Pourciau was the leading scorer for the Pioneers with 28 points. It didn’t seem like Bay College had anyone who could match up with his height or length. Pourciau, number 21, is Delta’s big man. He is very reliable down-low-grabbing double-digit rebounds and points nearly every game. As the great basketball player Kawhii Lenord once said, “board man gets paid.”
